Grilling move. (Retail).

While this may not be the greatest time to expand, Grill Concepts Inc. in Brentwood will go ahead with plans to open up a Daily Grill along the El Segundo/Manhattan Beach border.

Bob Spivak, president and chief executive of the restaurant chain, hopes his bistro will fare better than the Wolfgang Puck Cafe that used to occupy the site. The cafe closed last December after sales didn't meet expectations.

"We've been working on this for the past three or four months," Spiva said. "We obviously felt that the recession would be over and this would be a good time to open. But we believe this is a short-term economic downturn and it can't alter our expansion plans."

The 6,200-square-foot restaurant is located in Continental Park on Rosecrans Avenue where there are a host of other chain eatries such as P.F. Chang's, McCormick & Schmick's, and Houston's.

The restaurant is a joint venture of grill Concepts and Continental Development Corp., which owns the business park. Construction, budgeted at $1.8 million, is expected to begin in August and the restaurant should open in December.

Staff reporter Deborah Belgum can be reached at [phone] ext. 228, or at [e-mail]